Women’s Rights Continue to be Threatened by Conservatives Seeking to Eliminate Private Insurance Coverage for Abortion

Various articles today report on the continued threats to women’s rights to basic sexual and reproductive health coverage in health care reform.  The focus is on the role of conservative Democrats, led by Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak, in seeking language that would prohibit private plans from covering abortion care if in fact any federal funding were found in the same system.

The Washington Post reports:

The abortion dispute centers both on federal subsidies that would be
provided for people who cannot afford health-care coverage themselves
and the much-debated government insurance alternative, which is
included in the House version of the bill but is still being debated in
the Senate. Under a 1976 law, federal funds are generally barred from
being used for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest or to
ensure the life of the mother.